THIS WEEK: The Washington baseball team (16-13 overall, 5-4 in the Pac-10) takes a break from conference play this week as the Huskies begin a stretch of six straight non-conference contests. Tuesday and Wednesday, the Dawgs travel to Provo, Utah, to face Brigham Young (19-13, 6-3 in the Mountain West) in a pair of 2:00 p.m. MDT/1:00 p.m. PDT games at Miller Park. This weekend, UC Riverside (20-12 overall, 2-1 in the Big West) visits Husky Ballpark for a three-game series. Tuesday, the Huskies will start sophomore LHP Nick Haughian, while on Wednesday, another sophomore lefty, Tyler Cheney, will get the start. This weekend's starting rotation is yet to be determined. The string of non-league action continues Tuesday, April 17, at Portland before USC comes to Seattle April 20-22 for a three-game Pac-10 Conference series. Here's a look at this week's games:

SERIES HISTORY: Brigham Young leads the all-time series vs. UW, 13-8-1, while UC Riverside also holds a series advantage, 10 wins to eight. The Huskies beat BYU twice in t hree games last season, winning 10-1 in game one, losing 4-2 in game two and winning 12-1 in game three. In the opener, Tim Lincecum allowed no runs and only one hit while striking out 14 in six innings. The Huskies and Highlanders last faced one another in Riverside in 2005, with the UW winning two of three. The Huskies won the first two with ease, 9-0 and 19-3, before getting saddled with a 14-1 loss in game three. The last time that Rioverisde came to Seattle, in 2002, the Highlanders won two of three.

COACH "K": In 2004, Husky baseball coach Ken Knutson became the winningest baseball coach in the history of the program. That accomplishment is just one item on Knutson's impressive resume. In his 14-plus seasons at the helm of his alma mater's baseball team, Knutson has led the Dawgs to two Pac-10 championships, four Pac-10 Northern Division titles and six NCAA Regionals. He recently became the 17th Pac-10 coach to reach 500 wins and his career record now stands at 513-333-2 (.606). Before becoming the head man in 1993, Knutson served as the UW pitching coach for eight seasons. In 1985, his staff led the NCAA with a 2.80 ERA. Knutson holds a 256-114-2 (.691) record in home games. He is 210-153 (.579) in Pac-10 games. He's coached 50 first-team All-Pac-10 selections in 14 seasons, and has been named league coach of the year three times. A 1981 All-Pac-10 pitcher at the UW, he is joined by assistants Joe Ross, Donny Harrel, Tighe Dickinson and undergrad assistant Jeff James.

PROBABLE STARTERS: Here's a look at the probable starters at each position, with 2007 stats and notes:

KNUTSON PASSES #500: Husky head coach Ken Knutson is already the winningest baseball coach in UW history, but he reached another milestone on March 5. Knutson, who enters this week with a career record of 513-333-2, won his 500th career game on March 5 vs. Southern Utah. Entering this season, only 16 Pac-10 coaches had ever reached 500 career victories, a group than includes legends like USC's Rod Dedeaux, Arizona's Jerry Kindall and Jim Brock and Bobby Winkles of Arizona State. Knutson took over at his alma mater prior to the 1993 season and is in his 15th year in charge. Only Stanford's Mark Marquess has more seniority or more wins among current Pac-10 coaches.

HUSKIES AT SAFECO FIELD: Washington's home game against Oregon State on Friday, May 4, will be played at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. The Huskies and Beavers will square off in the first game of a three-game Pac-10 series at 7:30 p.m. that night, and the game will air live on FSN television. Tickets are only $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors and all UW home game ticket policies will apply (i.e., family plan, group tickets are available and UW students and Olympic Sports Pass holders will be admitted free). Washington last played on a big-league field in 1997, when the Huskies playing a tournament at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Huskies also used to host a tournament in the Kingdome, the Mariners' former home, and played an exhibition vs. the Mariners in the Kingdome in 1986.

TOUGH SCHEDULE: Counting those in the "others receiving votes" category, the preseason Sports Weekly/ESPN coaches' poll ranked 55 teams this season. Washington will play at least 24 games against teams that received votes in the preseason ranking. Those 24 games come against eight different teams, including six conference opponents. The Huskies will play a total of 12 games against four teams ranked in the top 25 in the preseason poll - three each against No. 14 Arizona State, No. 15 Oregon State, No. 21 UCLA and No. 25 Stanford. Well-respected baseball web site boydsworld.com ranks the Huskies' schedule as the 22nd-toughest in the nation (among 291 Division I programs), which is in the middle of the Pac-10 (fifth, to be precise). All nine Pac-10 teams' schedules rank in the top 30, according to boydsworld.com.

NORTHWEST FLAVOR: As is usually the case, the Husky baseball roster is made up primarily of players from the state of Washington. This year, 34 of the 37 players on the current roster are from the state of Washington. The only non-Washingtonians on the team is are sophomore pitchers Bryce Mooney (Lake Oswego, Ore.), Geoff Nichols (Portland, Ore.) and freshman infielder Travis Nishioka (Honolulu, Hawaii). For those unfamiliar with Northwest geography, both Lake Oswego and Portland are within a few miles of the border with Washington. Of the 34 in-state players, 31 are from the western part of the state (west of the Cascades) and 17 are from King County, where the UW is located.

POSITION PLAYER NOTES (in alphabetical order):
#10 Bryce Anderson, Fr. C: Hit safely in lone AB at Port. (Mar. 20) and Gonzaga (Mar. 21) ... saw first action as PH Feb. 27 vs. Portland ... has caught in five games ... captain as an IF at Redmond HS last season.

#2 Bradley Boyer, So. IF: Started 25 at 2B, 1 at 3B ... during spring break trip: 12-for-24 ... 2-run HR in 11th won WSU game Mar. 23 ... 3-for-9 in CSUN series ... 4-for-13 (.308) with 2 2Bs, 2 RBI in Pacific series ... 3-for-5 with 2B, 3B Mar. 5 vs. UC Irvine ... first HR Mar. 6 vs. Southern Utah ... started 2 of 3 at ECU Invitational (1 at 2B, 1 at 3B), going 5-for-7 with 4 doubles, 2 runs, 1 RBI ... started 2 of 3 at Cal Poly (1-for-6 for series) ... started 37 games last year at 2B, SS and 3B ... first career hit was a solo HR at CS Northridge last season.

#4 Michael Burgher, Jr. OF: Started 18 of last 22 in CF ... 4-for-10, 2 doubles in UCLA series ... both doubles came in Apr. 7 win vs. Bruins ... 3-for-4, 3 RBI in win over ASU ... 6-for-12 in WSU series ... over last 15 games: 14-for-36 (.389), 11 walks, 6 steals ... 3-for-3 with a BB, SB and a run Mar. 9 vs. Pacific ... started in CF vs. ECU (1-for-5) ... played in 26 games last season, starting 12 ... UW went 8-4 in his starts last season.

#29 Kyle Conley, So. OF: Started 13 of first 15 games, but has had season come to and end as he'll undergo surgery on his left shoulder ... hit safely in the season's first 7 games.

#28 Danny Cox, So. SS: Has started 12 at SS and 1 at 2B ... last season vs. BYU: 3-for-10, HR ... 2-for-5, 2B, 3B and game-winning run in Mar. 25 win at WSU ... had a 7-game hit streak Feb. 17-Mar. 3 ... solo homer vs. Duke ... as a freshman, started 52 of the Huskies' 61 games at SS ... only 4 errors in 102 chances in Pac-10 play last year ... drafted by Twins in the 34th round in 2005.

#18 Joey Dunn, Jr. C: Had started every game this season at catcher until Apr. 7 at UCLA ... 4-for-6 in UCLA series ... 3-for-4 over last 2 ASU games ... 2-for-5, 2 RBI in Mar. 24 win over WSU ... solo homer in 6-5 win over Pacific March 10 ... error-free so far in '07 ... 3-for-5 Feb. 27 vs. Portland ... started 29 games behind the plate as a freshman in 2005 and 10 more last season ... UW went 9-1 with Dunn as starter behind the plate last season ... started 19 of UW's 24 Pac-10 games as a freshman.

#1 Matt Hague, Jr. 3B: Starter at 3B after playing OF last 2 years ... 3-run homer in Apr. 7 win at UCLA ... last year vs. BYU: 6-for-8, 5 runs, 3 RBI, 4 walks, 3 SB ... 4-for-14 in WSU series and again in ASU series ... 3-for-10, 3 BBs, 3 SBs in CSUN series ... 4-for-8 in March 10 doubleheader sweep of Pacific ... 2-for-4 with 3-run HR Mar. 5 vs. SUU ... entered junior season with .394 batting average in 350 career at bats, good for the top career BA in school history ... first-team All-Pac-10 last year ... preseason third-team All-America from Collegiate Baseball.

#7 Brett Kaluza, So. OF: Started 2 games at UCLA: 2-for-5 ... started Apr. 1 vs. ASU: 0-for-2, BB, run ... 2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI in start Mar. 18. vs. CSUN ... started 2 vs. Pacific (in LF and CF) ... 2-for-6 vs. Pacific ... started 10 of 24 Pac-10 games last year ... Seattle Times' Eastside Athlete of the Year as a senior at Skyline ... state runner-up in football and baseball as a senior.

#8 Max Kwan, So. C: Seattle native spent last year playing at Tulane ... first AB Mar. 18 vs. CSUN after missing first five weeks with elbow injury ... caught an inning Mar. 24 vs. WSU ... started 33 games for Green Wave, helping them to NCAA Regional ... all-state as a junior and senior at Seattle Prep ... drafted by Mariners in 36th round of 2006 draft.

#5 Andy Lentz, Jr. OF: Has started 23 of 29 in CF or RF ... 2-for-5 Mar. 31 vs. ASU ... 3-for-4, HR Mar. 20 at Portland ... 4-for-13 in WSU series ... 3-for-12 in CSUN series ... illness held him to just one game vs. Pacific, but went 4-for-6 with 2 runs, 2B, RBI, & SB in that one (6-5 extra-innings win) ... RBI triple in ninth was UW's only hit Mar. 4 vs. UC Irvine ... started all 3 at Cal Poly, going 5-for-11 for series ... fought through injuries last year and played in 27 games, starting 15 ... has seen action at every position except SS, C and P ... two brothers (Ryan, Richie) played at UW.

#23 Joey Lind, Fr. 1B: First two career starts Mar. 24-25 at WSU: 4-for-6, 2 RBI ... first hit was single Mar. 3 vs. UC Irvine ... along with UW teammate Cam Nobles, led Jackson HS to 27-0 record, 4A state title and No. 2 final national ranking last season ... hit .455 with a school-record 46 RBI in 27 games last season ... first-team all-state.

#32 Travis Nishioka, Fr. OF/IF: Versatile freshman can play OF or IF ... lone action so far came Mar. 3 vs. UC Irvine (game 2) ... first-team all-ILH as a senior at Iolani School in Honolulu ... also all-state football player.

#6 Jake Rife, So. OF: Started 12 of last 15 in LF ... homered Apr. 5 at UCLA ... 3-for-7 in two starts vs. ASU ... 3-for-9 at WSU ... 3-for-4 at Portland ... started all 3 vs. CSUN: 4-for-11, 3 doubles ... 2-for-4 in start in 6-5 win over Pacific ... saw action in 42 games as freshman, starting 30 ... batted over .450 in each of his last 3 seasons at Lakewood High ... 2A state MVP as a senior.

#21 Curt Rindal, Sr. 1B: Team's lone senior in 5th season at the UW ... 2nd career triple Apr. 6 at UCLA ... 2-for-5 Sun. at UCLA ... last season vs. BYU: 4-for-11, 3 doubles, 4 RBI ... 5-for-9, 5 RBI in last 2 ASU games ... 3-for-5 with 2B, HR, 3 RBI at Portland Mar. 20 ... 4-for-6, 3 RBI Mar. 24 at WSU ... 3-for-13, 2 RBI in CSUN series ... big series vs. Pacific (8-for-14, 2 2Bs, HR, 3 RBI), winning Pac-10 player of the week ... 4-for-5 in 6-5 win over Pacific and 7-for-10 in doubleheader that day ... 3-for-4, 3-run double, solo homer Mar. 6 vs. SUU ... hit two homers at ECU Invitational, going 3-for-10 with four RBI on the weekend ... 2-for-12 as starter in all 3 at Cal Poly ... redshirted his second season (2004) due to an elbow injury in left (non-throwing) arm ... earned first-team All-Pac-10 last year after batting .350 with 10 homers, 21 doubles and 48 RBI ... four in the Pac-10 in doubles, seventh in homers ... only player to play in all 61 games last year.

#43 Aaron Russell, Fr. IF: Singled in first AB Mar. 3 (game 2) vs. UC Irvine ... started at 3B Mar. 4 vs. UCI ... first-team all-league SS at Interlake HS last season ... led league in RBI and was third in HRs as a senior.

#13 Matt Stevens, Jr. OF: Moves from third base, where he started 56 games last year, to right field, where he's started 9 ... got first start in 8 games Sun. vs. ASU ... started 2 games in Pacific series ... also saw action at 1B ... started 2 of 3 at ECU Invitational, both in RF ... started last 2 at Cal Poly in RF (1-for-9) ... belted 17 home runs last season, second in the Pac-10 (behind teammate Zach Clem's 20) and fourth in UW single-season history ... hit for the cycle at CS Northridge on Feb. 18, 2006, finishing the game 5-for-6 with two homers ... six homers in league play were most in the Pac-10 ... first-team Academic All-Pac-10 last year ... saw freshman season (2005) cut short by broken bone in hand.

#44 Brett Wilcox, So. C: Catcher joined team Mar. 26, first day of spring quarter ... started at C in Apr. 7 win at UCLA, going 1-for-5 with RBI double ... caught an inning Sat. vs. ASU ... played last season at Bellevue CC ... MVP of KingCo 4A Conference as senior at Bothell High in 2005.

Cam Nobles, Freshman RHP: Made first appearance in start Apr. 7 at UCLA ... went 3.0 IP, allowing 1 run on 3 hits with 2 walks and 2 Ks ... led Jackson High to a 27-0 record, a state 4A title and the No. 2 national ranking (Baseball America) last year ... drafted by the Mariners in the 19th round of the 2006 draft.

BULLPEN NOTES:Harrison Bishop (Jr. RHP) threw 1.2 scoreless IP of relief Apr. 6 at UCLA ... worked 2.0 IP in Apr. 1 loss to ASU (5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB) ... threw 1.0 IP Mar. 16 vs. CSUN (1 H, 0 R) ... fanned 2 in 1.0 IP Mar. 20 at Portland ... 2.0 IP of scoreless relief Mar. 24 at WSU ... saw first action Feb. 27 vs. Portland with 1.2 no-hit IP ... worked 3.1 in relief Mar. 4 vs. UC Irvine, allowing only 1 run ... fourth-year junior who played at Bellevue CC and Edmonds CC, both near the UW campus ... missed 2005 season due to "Tommy John" surgery ... drafted by the Orioles in the 40th round of the 2004 draft ... Elliott Cribby (Jr. RHP) threw 1-2-3 9th Apr. 6 at UCLA ... notched 2.0 scoreless innings in UW win Mar. 25 at WSU ... threw 2.0 hitless IP in relief Mar. 18 vs. CSUN ... picked up first save Mar. 6 vs. Southern Utah ... threw 2.1 relief (no dec.) in 6-5 win over Pacific ... retired only batter he faced Feb. 17 at Cal Poly, but took loss the following day ... also pitched Feb. 18 vs. Poly, Feb. 24 vs. ECU ... All-Pac-10 honorable mention last year in his first season at UW ... one of 35 pitchers (and the only one from the Pac-10) on the preseason watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award ... 10 saves in 2006 were second in the Pac-10 and 4th-most in UW history ... had a solid summer in the Cape Cod League, going 3-2 with a 1.61 ERA for the Chatham As ... Johnny DuRocher (Jr. RHP) has pitched in 3 games in relief ... 2.0 IP Mar. 20 at Portland (2 H, 2 R) ... is playing baseball for the first time since his sophomore year of high school ... a QB on the UW football team the last three years ... had successful surgery to remove a brain tumor last Nov. ... the state's Gatorade player of the year for football in 2002, originally began his career at Oregon before transferring after a season ... appeared in 7 games as a UW quarterback ... Jason Erickson (So. RHP) worked 6.1 IP of relief Apr. 5 at UCLA, allowing 1 run on 1 hit ... threw 0.2 in UW loss at Gonzaga ... 1.0 scoreless IP in 7-0 win over CSUN Mar. 16 ... worked final 1.2 IP in 8-0 win over Pacific March 10 ... pitched 2.0 solid innings Feb. 18 at Cal Poly, allowing 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K ... took loss vs. Duke (2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) ... appeared in six games last season ... picked up a win in second career outing at CS Northridge ... Seamount League MVP as a HS senior ... two-time all-league pitcher and also an all-league SS ... drafted by the Reds in the 45th round in 2005 ... Nick Hagadone (Jr. LHP) has worked out of pen his last 11 outings, combining for 25.1 innings, with only 16 hits and 5 runs (2 earned) allowed ... got win Apr. 7 at UCLA with 5.1-inning outing (7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) ... save No. 6 in 5-4 win over ASU Mar. 30 (1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K) ... gave up first ER in relief Apr. 1 vs. ASU on a solo homer ... fifth save in 6-5 win at WSU Mar. 25 ... got win with 3.0 of relief at Portland Mar. 20 ... got win with 2.2 perfect innings in UW's 11-inn. win at WSU Mar. 23 ... fourth save in 2-1 win over CSUN (1.0 IP, 2 Ks) ... third save Mar. 9 vs. Pacific ... earned saves Mar. 3 vs. UCI and Mar. 5 vs. SUU .. has made two starts ... worked the final three innings of a no-hitter (combining with Tim Lincecum) March 12, 2006, vs. Santa Clara, retiring all nine batters he faced ... Brandon McKerney (Jr. RHP) missed first 5 weeks with injury, and appeared Mar. 18 vs. CSUN (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K) ... appeared twice vs. ASU, combining for 2.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 Ks ... got the win Mar. 25 at WSU with 1.0 inning ... threw scoreless inning Mar. 21 at Gonzaga and 1.1 in win at WSU Mar. 23 ... pitched in 14 games for UW last season and had good summer at Newport, R.I., posting a 0.31 ERA and .106 opponent batting average ... earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention in 2005 ... Bryce Mooney (So. RHP) got no dec. in start at Portland Mar. 20 .. (4.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 0 K) ... got win in a start Mar. 6 vs. SUU (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 Ks) ... pitched Feb. 17 vs. Cal Poly ... pitched in 27 games as a freshman in 2006, starting 1 and appearing in relief 25 times ... had a string of 10 straight innings of no-hit relief from March 10-28 last year ... Geoff Nichols (So. RHP) worked 1.2 IP Apr. 6 at UCLA ... struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 inning Mar. 31 vs. ASU ... took loss in start Mar. 21 at Gonzaga (UW shut out, 12-0) ... got win in 6-5, 11-inn. victory over Pacific Mar. 10 (2.2 IP., 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K) ... no decision in start vs. Portland Feb. 27 (3.0 IP) ... worked 3.1 innings of relief opening day vs. Cal Poly, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits ... appeared in relief 3 times and started once last season ... got the start at Hawaii Pacific, earning a win.